Architecture & Engineering

Whether you are looking to build a luxurious French Chateau, a Venetian Palazzo or a Mediterranean Estate, planning a luxury home can be exciting and adventurous but the details are all in the planning. With a multitude of home plan designs to choose from, your luxury home should reflect your lifestyle and represent your taste. You can choose from contemporary, modern designs that have an open venue that lends itself well to California or Florida where the outdoors is generally an extension of the home without much separation.

Other styles are more traditional European such as Tudor or French provincial and still others resemble manors or regal estates. Italian villas or more rustic country style are other options for a more relaxed comfortable lifestyle. Planning a luxury home needs the expertise and wisdom of a professional architect who understands the nuances of the various styles while incorporating modern technology into the floor plans to bring the home into the modern era without undermining its design.

If you already have a design in mind but need someone to bring it to fruition you should search for an architect who has experience in the type of architecture that you are planning. An architect can incorporate the traditional features of a classical Italian, English Manor or Victorian home into the modern equivalent with modifications that will suit your needs. With plans that are standard or custom made, an architect will design the home to your exact specifications down to the smallest detail.

There are many things to consider when building your luxury home besides the basics of how many bedrooms and bathrooms you want although those are important along with the size and type of kitchen you want. If you already have a site for the home, you need to determine if there are any restrictions for building on that site — such as height restrictions or design — even the color can sometimes be dictated by a community. Also, any building codes for your community, city or county must be adhered to. You will need to determine if you want a formal dining room and living room or just a “great room” or family oriented room that combines living room and den into one.

Your lifestyle will determine if you need your home to be more formal or informal but you also need to decide the access of rooms to one another and whether you want outside decks, patios or balconies for any room. If the home is multi-storied, you need to determine what rooms will be on each floor — whether there will be a bedroom and bath on the first floor or all on the second or third floor and the sizes needed for each. If you want a bar or a playroom for children or breakfast nook or a conservatory, all of these questions need to be answered.

Any special requirements for a library, exercise room, or other special rooms such as a home theatre must be considered. If you have an interest in a tennis court or swimming pool or other special needs for the grounds surrounding the home, these must be incorporated into the overall plan. If the home is on the water, will there be a dock or other structure required at the water. How many cars do you want to accommodate in a garage and do you want a separate work room, gardening room or a pool house?

If your home has a large expanse of grounds, you need to determine the landscaping and what type of driveway you will want — whether it is circular or off to the side of the house or winding to the rear. The type of architecture will usually provide norms of types of perimeters that your home will be surfaced with — such as brick, wood, stucco or other materials — but there will be choices in colors, materials and styles that need to be addressed. The type and style of roof needs to be determined as well. You should decide whether you want a finished basement that can be used for a wine cellar or other storage.

Planning a luxury home with an architect is an exciting adventure but it will be time consuming and communication is a vital component in realizing your dream. If you cannot communicate effectively with your architect then you will more than likely be unhappy with your home. Doing the research for the right architect is the key to getting the luxury home you are looking for. Look at plans that are similar to the type of home you are looking for. Visit the homes if possible and examine the interior of the home to see if it is exactly what you want or if modifications should be made. Customize your home to your specifications so that you enjoy it every day.

Once you have narrowed down your choice for a plan design and some architects — then you should interview each architect and have them submit a plan for you to consider. Ask lots of questions so that you are comfortable not only with the architect but with the plans and make sure that you are sure the architect understands your needs and you are able to easily communicate with him. Check the architect’s references so that you feel comfortable that he or she is the right person to handle your dream home project. You should be confident that if there are any issues that arise during the process, your architect will keep you informed and he will make recommendations to resolve any problems as they occur.

Entrusting your dream luxury home into the hands of someone else is a huge undertaking, but by taking precautionary measures to ensure that you find the right architect to build you the luxury home you want will pay off in the end. Take your time and you will be rewarded with a luxury dream home that you will enjoy for many years confident that you had someone handle the architectural design that was skilled, meticulous and easy to trust.

home-inspection